Lesotho, officially called the Kingdom of Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa. Its vast land is more than 11, 583 square miles with a population of more than two million in 2009. It is about the size of Maryland in the United States with Maseru as the capital and biggest city.
It is also called the “kingdom in the sky” for its stunning mountains, limitless hiking trails, and scenic views. Exploring the place is very accessible due to several means of transportation. To explore the place, activities like pony trekking trout fishing, camping and hiking are some of the must try. Though this place is underdeveloped, adventurous tourists and travelers will find it a nice place to explore.
Sehlabathebe National Park
Sehlabathebe National Park, which is the only official national park in Lesotho, is located in the southeast part and is popular for its unusual solitude and peace. It is known to be the oldest nature reserve with an average elevation of 2400 meters, which makes it almost inaccessible yet fascinating with the presence of rare bird species and antelopes.
To explore the area, you need to go with a 4×4 vehicle since you could be stuck in going in and out of the rivers. You will even have the chance to do hiking, pony trekking, bird watching, biking and camping inside and accommodations are also available for a few day stay. This national park is one of the leading natural wonders of Lesotho and is worthy to be on everyone’s bucket list.
Maletsunyane Waterfall
Maletsunyane Waterfall, with a height of 360 feet is situated in the southern part of the country near the town of Semonkong. It is known to be the tallest single drop waterfall in the whole of Africa which creates a haze of smoke as the water plunges. It got its name from Semonkong which means “The Place of Smoke”. Some things that can be appreciated in the area include wild trout fishing, rock climbing, pony trekking, hiking, abseiling, and a wide variety of alpine flowers.
Thaba Bosiu Mountain
Thaba Bosiu Mountain, meaning “Mountain at Night” is a plateau with an area of two square kilometers and its height is 1804 meters above sea level. It’s situated in the middle of Caledon Rivers and Orange along the Maseru District. At the height of 120 meters, a barrier was formed with an aim of conserving people from danger at the early time.
It also served as the headquarters of Moshoeshoe during the Basuto Wars. Such a name was called due to two known explanations: First, it was believed that the Moshoeshoe people arrived at the place during nighttime, and preparations for battle were done all night. Second, Thaba Bosiu was attacked several times, but it was never conquered and defeated.
Currently, Tse’hlanyane National Park is found far down in the anterior range of the mountains Maluti and its headquarters are situated at the base of Holomo Pass. The reserve indebted its origin from the road to the Hlotse tunnel designed for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). Its protected area is located at the consolidated Tse’hlanyane and the Holomo rivers.
Its vast area is more than 5600 hectares characterized by unusually rough mountain terrain. This is strictly protected which even includes one of the very small indigenous woodlands in the country of Lesotho. The path passes through Khabo’s village, which is adjacent to the Hlotse River where you will see an attractive valley until it reaches the park’s approach.
Liphofung Nature Reserve
Liphofung Nature Reserve, which means “place of the eland”, is a cave occupying a vital role in the history of Lesotho. This is known to be the tiniest among the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority reserves at an area of only 4 hectares. If you will take a closer look, the cave is a large bulge made of Clarens sandstones, which is the usual feature of the Lesotho lowlands region.
In the older times, the walls possess rock art and are very rich in archaeological facts, however, during the reign of King Moshoeshoe, the cave was used as a resting place for travelers going to the other part of the kingdom. In this site, you will also find the stream valley named Hololo River just near the main routes of Butha Buthe, Mokhotlong, and Oxbow.
For your itinerary, you can visit a museum with local guides to accompany you, conduct camping, and attend some of the country’s festivals and cultural displays, such as traditional dancing and choral singing.